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Android hidden camera recorder11/10/2023 ![]() ![]() There are different reasons to want to 'spy,' and we try to cover all the bases. We have a guide to the best hidden camera detector – some are quite a small investment in feeling secure in a strange room. You can also use RF detectors to seek out cameras that transmit radio (like wi-fi). You can turn off the lights and shine a torch, looking for unexpected reflections from camera lenses. There are a number of ways to find hidden cameras. You can set up an alarm notification to your phone, whereby the camera will send images to your email address, so you can monitor how the nanny is getting along with the kids, or how the dog you’ve left alone is bearing up. If there are also six infrared LEDs and a night vision distance of 5m, so you can leave it monitoring proceedings while you sleep, if desired. The size of an after-dinner mint, it can detect motion, shoot 1080p video, capture images to an optional microSD card or record on a constant loop, and even see in the dark. The Fredi Mini Hidden Camera ticks all the boxes most people look for in a spy camera. See our full Arlo Essential Spotlight review for more details Best for battery life ![]() Setting up the camera is an easy process, and once it's connected to your phone via the app you'll be able to control a host of functions, though it's a lot less useful if you don't continue your free trial of the Arlo Smart subscription service. This means you have to take the entire rig down when charging time comes. ![]() The battery in the Arlo Essential Spotlight can last a good long time (the manufacturers say up to six months), though be aware that it's non-removable. There's also a spotlight if you want to use it as an intruder deterrent. It's a well-featured spy camera, with motion detection and an effective "vision" range of 300 feet. Unlike many other products in the Arlo range, it doesn't require the Arlo SmartHub in order to work, although you can connect it if you do have one. Need to protect and monitor your home? The Arlo Essential Spotlight can be placed pretty much anywhere with its screw-in mount. That said, most people still probably won't work out that you're filming them, so it's up to you where you feel that using these glasses is appropriate, and/or legal.įor more details, see our full Ray-Ban Stories review Best CCTV Obviously, outside of a James Bond movie, the creepy factor is high, and so Ray-Ban has included a colored light indicator on the front of the glasses, which lights up when camera recording is in use. The main appeal here is an eyeline point-of-view perspective when recording hands-free. These glasses from Ray-Ban, though, are fashionably stylish as well as providing great functionality.Ī tie-in between Ray-Ban and Meta, they feature dual 5MP cameras, offering a photo resolution of 2592 x 1944 pixels, and video at 30fps, 1184 x 1184 pixels. While there are a lot of pocket money options from brands we’ve never heard of online, the look tends to be more Austin Powers than Tom Cruise. We couldn’t do a roundup of spy cameras without featuring at least one option that's secreted within the best camera glasses. ![]()
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Airparrot apple tv problem11/10/2023 ![]() ![]() Resolved an issue that prevented "Stretch to Fit" from functioning when mirroring a specific application Resolved an issue that prevented AirParrot 2 from remembering saved AirPlay passwords Resolved an issue that prevented reconnecting to a device after using the power button to disconnect Resolved an issue with selecting a second video while one is already streaming Resolved an issue with audio streaming that could cause it to become crackly or garbled when mirroring Resolved an issue that caused the mirrored mouse pointer to appear in an incorrect location Resolved an issue with the Application list when many applications are running Resolved a crash when switching between apps in Specific App mirroring Reflector 2 compatibility - Added enhanced support for mirroring and media streaming via AirPlay or Google Cast to Reflector 2 ![]() Miscellaneous bug fixes and stability improvements Resolved a memory leak when using Classic Capture mode on Windows 8 Resolved an issue that caused progress indicators to remain after disconnecting from a device while media streaming is connecting Resolved an issue that caused device names with special characters to appear mis-formatted Resolved an issue that caused AirParrot 2 to stop sending sound during mirroring when the AirParrot 2 volume slide was adjusted in the Windows sounds mixer Resolved an issue that caused duplicate devices, when connected via Quick Connect, to appear when re-opening the AirParrot 2 menu Resolved an issue that could cause media streaming to drop after roughly 30 minutes of streaming Resolved a crash when rotating a Windows tablet while mirroring the screen Improved general mouseover, scrolling and tap areas (especially on touch devices) Improved the "select an area" mirroring UI to be easier to use and better looking The power button and play / pause buttons are now disabled when not mirroring / streaming Pressing Control + L will now automatically reconnect to the last receiver It sounds like you're using a flat VLAN for everything so this doesn't really matter.AirParrot 2 now better supports running on tablet and touch devicesĪirParrot 2 now appears in the "Open With" context menu when right clicking a media file in ExplorerĪudio streaming to AirPort Express generation 1, version 1 now works properly Or another user has suggested trying airmypc which basically requires manual input of an IP.Īs an aside, normally Access Points in local mode will be connected to switchports in access mode and locked down to the management VLAN used to connect back to the WLC. I'd probably try to wireshark the traffic now to see what the windows pc 'sees'. There are some more ports to open suggested below but you've disabled the firewall and no luck. The layer 3 mode shouldn't affect it unless they wired/wireless clients are not sharing the same subnet/VLAN which you've said they are.Īs the wired Apple devices are discovering the TVs but your windows machine is not then this indicates just a fault with the windows machines and not the network configuration. I am relatively new to the Cisco and would appreciate any direction on this I was considering rolling back the software to 7.6.120.0 (field recovery version) but wasn't sure if I could restore the config after the downgrade. the only difference is the multicast address I am not very familiar with multicast but I know ATV/Airplay uses 224.0.0.251 multicast address.Įverything else seems to work except the apple TVs from a PC. ![]() Office ver 8.1.102.0 multicast enabled with address 239.255.255.250 (wouldn't let me finish set up without picking a valid multicast address)(not sure if this the correct address to use)Įverything I have found regarding WLC 2504 /Apple TV it is the Mac side that can't see. Office ver 7.6.120.0 multicast enabled with address 0.0.0.0 using I have the same set up in a different office that works no problem from either PC or Mac. I was able to get a PC to see the apple TV if I hardwire on both sides (but that is kinda missing the point IMO). iPhones, iPads, macs, can see them whether they are wireless or hardwired. The problem is I can not see the apple TV from a PC using Air Parrot (I have tried a few others same result). I currently have 5 apple TV's in one of my offices set up on the same wireless network/subnet as 2504 WLC controller, workstations(Mac and PC), etc. ![]()
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Bvckup portable11/10/2023 ![]() The good thing about portable apps is that you know for sure everything is in one folder, rather than scattered across your hard drive in various folders. Granted, Bvckup2 doesn't rely on the registry to store settings which means it wouldn't be too hard for it to backup its own settings (I'm assuming this is possible). ![]() Instead I keep all my portable apps on a partition separate from the OS partition and everything is up and running instantly with all my preferences in place, my way. bigger hard drive), I don't need to re-install and configure every app all over again from scratch. It's a chicken-and-egg one.įor me the compelling thing about portable apps is that when I clean-install the OS, move to a new machine or upgrade my hardware (e.g. May 17, 2017I would be interested in a portable version, but I see how this would pose a challenge from a licensing perspective. I think any of those strategies, or a mixture of them, would be more pleasant for users than tying a license to an individual drive. Leave out the more powerful features of a full install, and encourage simple, mirrored backup as the intended use. Create a separate, portable version with a subset of features targeted at the portable use case. Possibly allow only ~2 distinct check-in locations (this lets the master Bvckup 2 install track unique IDs instead of a central server) Make the portable process a "companion" to a standard Bvckup 2 installation, and require the portable process to "check in" with the master Bvckup 2 install the first time it runs, possibly with scheduled check-ins every so often after that. Detect and track the network that the portable process is executed from (IP or DNS, or some other method), and only allow it to work from ~2 networks for the Personal version. (A different strategy for the professional license would make sense) Detect and track unique hardware IDs used by a portable bvckup 2 install, only allow it to work with at most ~3 IDs for the Personal license. ![]() If you tie the license to an individual drive, allow users to "move" the license to another drive once every 2 weeks or something. However, if you still feel the need to further protect the software in a portable use case, here are some ideas: I think those inconveniences would prevent large-scale abuse of a more flexible portable license. If anyone attempts to use the portable version to backup multiple systems, they'll have to deal with a lot of inconveniences such as manually moving a flash drive around, or using scripts to start and stop the process in different places on a schedule to keep multiple instances from running concurrently. If you granted a full license (without tying to hardware at all) for portable use, I think it would be fine so long as you ensure only one copy with that license can run at the same time. If you tie the license to a specific flash drive, I think many users will be surprised when they replace that drive and find out their license no longer works. Typically, portable software is used on a flash drive, and flash drives are viewed as interchangeable, flexible, and replaceable. Jul 03, 2014Regarding binding a license to a specific removable drive: This would be frustrating for me because it doesn't follow the norm for "portable" software. Do you think this would work? Because I'm not an adept of portable usage myself, I'm only guessing how people employ it. What I am considering is binding the license to to a removable media, like a thumb drive. The portable versions however is whole different game as the host machine may change at will. Standard installations are licensed based on a hardware fingerprint of the host machine. The problem however is that it's not clear to me how to license portable use. In this sense bvckup is as portable as it gets. ![]() The updater, if invoked from a running instance of bvckup, will take care to update spawning process. You can start bvckup2.exe with "-c " and it will use this path for all its configuration files. ![]() The default option should still be the current user folder (or the installer could ask for it). In application mode it would make it a portable application. in subfolders relative to the app directory would be very nice. Ideal for making local backups, backups going to external and removable drives as well as to NAS devices.Highend: Do you accept feature request as well, Alex?Īn option to store all logs, ini files, etc. It does however include a comprehensive list of supporting features including periodic and real-time backup scheduling, removable device tracking and shadow copying support. The software replicates files from one location to another in their original format and purposefully does not include options for compressing or encrypting them. Bvckup 2 is a mirroring data backup software notable for its use of delta copying, speed of operation, small resource footprint and a "beautifully functional" user interface. ![]()
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Make oversized jenga11/10/2023 ![]() ![]() I tried both and recommend dipping a the corner of a rag in the can and then wiping it directly onto the wood. I would recommend staining outside or in a garage with the doors open if possible to prevent unnessary mess and prevent overwhelming odors in your home.Īs shown on the back of the can, there are two ways of staining wood. I stained one group with a blue stain called “Worn Navy”, one group with a brown stain called “American Walnut”, and left one group its natural color. I separated the 54 pieces into groups of 18. In my case, I choose to stain the pieces to give the game a more more finished look. ![]() You can choose to stain some, all, or none of the pieces–whatever suits your preference. Sanding is the most time consuming step but definitely not one you want to skip. Sand the edges of the Jenga pieces to prevent splinters when laying the game.Soon, you will get the hang of it and cutting the pieces will take no time at all. Then move your fingers away and hold the wood with one hand while pressing the button and pulling the saw down over the wood with the other hand. If you’re not sure how to use a Miter Saw, you should get help from someone before you start cutting, but to briefly explain, line the measured wood up with where the blade will cut it and keep the wood pressed against the far back. For this step, wear the gloves and safety glasses and use the Miter Saw make your cuts (if you have seven boards then you will end up with two extra Jenga pieces). Each of the 54 pieces should be 10 1⁄2 in. They are perfect for summer evenings on your back patio or in the yard. Sand the board, then prime, paint, and decorate it as you like.īuilding DIY backyard games is easy and makes playing them more.Draw a 6” diameter circle using a compass.To make sure it’s centered, make a mark 9” from the top and 12” from both sides. Cut the hole in the platform where you’ll toss the bean bags.Cut the bottom of the legs into an angle so your box will sit properly.The legs should be able to fold up and down inside the platform. Attach the legs using a carriage bolt, washer, and wing nut.Turn the box upside down and clamp them into place. Make a full 3 ½” radius cut on one end of each leg. Take the four 11 ½” pieces to make the legs.Fasten the 2” x 4” pieces into a box with the 21” and 48” wood. Four 1/2″ x 4″ carriage bolts with four washers and four wing nuts.It’s a pretty easy project you can complete in a day with a few things. Making your own bean bag toss is a great idea because you can customize and decorate it however you want. Giant bean bag tossĬornhole is one of the classic lawn games that is easy to play for all ages. You can go as easy as painting an old blanket or sheet and using plastic red and black plates, or you can create a mat that’s a bit more durable, with this idea that uses astro turf and bucket lids for a fun game that will last for years. They’re relatively simple to make, requiring little time and effort, and can be constructed a variety of ways with several choices for materials, depending on your preference. With giant chess or checkers, you turn classic indoor board games into outdoor games that everyone can enjoy together. Stack the pieces and get ready to play!.Sand the Jenga pieces using an orbital saw or benchtop belt sander to make each piece smooth on the sides and edges. ![]()
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Sophos xg home vs utm home11/10/2023 ![]() ![]() I spoke my piece and a month later a bunch of the complaints I made about the Gen 7 gui got fixed in the new firmware. Oddly enough when I got my hands on a Gen 7 I made complaints to the sales team about the UI as a vendor and to my surprise they got me in touch with the development team for Gen 7. The old firmware upgrade process left a high chance of installing with factory settings if you’re not really paying attention. I also find firmware upgrades painless with them these days which is good. Pre-6.2 was difficult for a lot of people (myself included) because it was a bit disjointed in how the workflow was but after that they’ve been doing a lot to simplify the user experience. The TZ300’s are pretty old at this point but the SonicOS version would play a huge part since they qualify for the 6.8 firmware. Unfortunately I only have one customer with one right now but it was managed by someone who didn’t know what they were doing or had a clear plan with the end goal so it’s an absolute mess. The vpn performance on site to site is good but that SSLVPN app seems to have problems with breaking itself on multiple workstations with enough frequency that I am skeptical of it. I find some stuff with Fortigate easier but there’s multiple ways to do a lot of things which can be problematic when two people work on it but do things differently. Hope other people have had better experiences but for me this bridge has been burned. As an engineer you never know if you did something wrong or if the firewall is having a tantrum. What I think is the worst is the lack of consistency. The above has happened across multiple deployments now, all different models so it's unlikely I just got a bung unit. Again, a restart is needed to resolve.īuggy firmware - It has happened more than once now where what should be a simple firmware update, bricks one of the devices in an HA pair. It doesn't drop them, it just does nothing. The configuration is correct, packets are arriving at the interface but the XG just decides not to process them. Reboot needed to resolve and you never know which config you'll end up with. A reboot fixes it but sometimes on reboot it takes 5 min to come up, sometimes 15 min.Ĭonfiguration disparity - At times, the Web UI configuration will show different values to the CLI. Web Interface/CLI - The web interface is slow and clunky and sometimes just hangs. ![]() I don't even know where to start so will just do a brain dump. I've worked with many firewalls over the years and have never come across anything as buggy as Sophos XG. ![]()
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Mood muzik11/10/2023 ![]() Kissed wifey on the forehead, told her that I love her "I woke up around 9, day felt like no other Joe even proves the critics who say he can't crossver wrong on super smoothed out tracks like "If I Should Die Tomorrow": In fact calling this a mixtape is a misnomer - this IS a full length album with professionally produced and mastered tracks. "Mood Muzik 2" seems dead set on proving Joe's point, which is that music industry and his label in particular are fucking up by not putting out his new album when he's making so many hot tracks in the interim he can fill up a mixtape and put it out on his own. You don't even want to ask his opinion about whether he's getting paid off the "Gangsta Party" single. If there's one thing you don't want to fuck with, it's a bitter angry rapper who's been starving for three years while everybody else on the label he's signed to is eating good. They say don't bite the hand that feeds youĭon't get me wrong, still I love Clue and Hov'īut they both rich, so what that got to do with Joe?'" Tryin to hate on him, throwin in my two cents I can't listen to _Blueprint_, got a resentment towards Hov' ![]() I ain't even know that dude was doin his tape, sheeeitĭon't want the fame no more, it's fuckin with meĭon't hear _Reasonable Doubt_ the same no more Stop sayin what you did for Clue shit, I just laced it "I came out screamin Desert Storm e'rydayīut as soon as I stopped, he don't wanna play ![]() The latest batch of unreleased JB songs has been compiled into a mixtape called "Mood Muzik 2: Can it Get Any Worse?" It certainly could if you make the mistake of crossing his path, as evidenced from his lyrics on "Old School Mouse": Those same mainstream fans have continued to pick up his mixtape releases on a regular basis though, and Def Jam is proving their shortsightedness by not cashing on. He's perceived as a rapper's rapper, too gangster to be pushed as a crossover act and too lyrical to connect with mainstream fans. Budden's reputation has only grown over the years, and the irony is that Def Jam's reluctance to release his album has made him a folk hero. JB's fanbase wants actual songs, and you can hardly blame them. While vague rumors continue to float that an album titled "The Growth" will be released in 2006, the last significant update from Def Jam on November 28th was that Budden ringtones are available. He came up from the street level mixtape scene, and if he has to go back to that level to hustle and make a living he's sure as hell going to do it. What the fuck? Fortunately Joe Budden is not the type of artist to sit around waiting for his record label to do the right thing. Budden's official Def Jam website even claimed a release date, but nothing ever surfaced. Then 20 passed, and the anticipated sophomore album never got released. There was little doubt that Joe was gonna blow, and for a little while he did. His name was buzzing in the underground due to mixtape success, and Def Jam was eager to capitalize on that fame by putting him in the "Def Jam Vendetta" video game and pushing his song "Pump it Up" to radio and video outlets everywhere. In 2003 Joe Budden had all the potential in the world when he released his self-titled debut on Def Jam. Cardim synth beat.Joe Budden :: Mood Muzik 2 - Can it Get Any Worse? :: Amalgam Entertainment The crossover-ready single "Follow My Lead" fuses a melodic sung hook with contemplative rhymes about being over the money/fame/cars/groupies that come with being a celebrity, "Remember the Titans" teams him up with Lloyd Banks, Fabolous, and Royce, while "Sober Up" finds him going off alongside Crooked I over a super slick J. Though he's only put out two actual studio solo albums, he's dropped three digital full-lengths, one group project with Slaughterhouse, and now this, the highly anticipated fourth installment in his ongoing Mood Muzik series. ![]() ![]() Through it all, he has maintained a fiercely loyal, extremely dedicated cult following who hang on his every verse and continue to buy and/or download anything he releases. Repping for Jersey City, Joe Budden has had an unusual career, marked by giant hit singles (specifically his breakout hit "Pump It Up"), major-label deals achieved and lost (he was originally on Def Jam before going indie), well-publicized mental illness/drug addiction issues, and an unlikely super-group with other once-signed, on-the-cusp-of-superstardom rappers Crooked I, Royce Da 5'9”, and Joell Ortiz. ![]()
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Little mermaid cover subliminal message11/10/2023 ![]() ![]() Its super shiny and golden and those qualities will draw me to look at it first, especially against the blue ocean backdrop. I can surely say its huge, and definitely noticeable. The palace penis spire is the most eye catching aspect of the entire image and certainly the first thing I locked my eyes and stared at. One of the first items I noticed when I first saw this picture was the golden tower, with the penis included. She is an octopus, so maybe that also implies that she “sucks” or is a lame person. In a similar comparison Ursula could be seen or compared as an evil stepson who is trying to keep the main harassers from having sex, having a family, basically being happy. Perhaps King Neptune presence right by the penis tower is to give consumers the subconscious idea that “Daddy’ who in this movie also happens to be a god, is okay with her baby girl receiving the golden (prized) pen’s. I think if you have a wild imagination you can make sense of why the penis is supposedly golden and put between the movie couple. ![]() The penis on the tower is centered between and slightly above the main cast characters. That is why it would be unusual for Disney to openly admit to any sexual homes in their media. Older myths and stories were full of sexual themes, but this version is supposed to be child friendly. “The Little Mermaid” is partially based on Greek and Roman mythology with King Neptune, the god of the sea and her daughter Ariel, a mermaid or water sprite. Usually Disney is known to create and recreate innocent childhood fairy tales, aimed specifically for young children and also the entire family. ![]()
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Saurian dakotaraptor transparant background11/10/2023 ![]() ![]() After all, the authors of this paper are… the people who are still insisting that Nanotyrannus is separate from Tyrannosaurus rex. I’m giving it the benefit of the doubt for now, but I really demand some new analyses. I do not know if you can definitevly say they’re different genera at this time, especially since the only dromaeosaurid teeth found in Hell Creek so far have belonged to one genus - Acheroraptor. First off, how do we not know that Acheroraptor isn’t a juvenile Dakotaraptor? Acheroraptor is only known from skull bones, but Dakotaraptorisn’t known from any. First off, they don’t actually include Acheroraptor in their analysis, which leaves me with some questions. However, there are some problems with this. When analyzed for cladistic relationships, it was found to be a sister taxa (meaning, really closely related) of Dromaeosaurus. Not all birds even have quill knobs they are indicative of heavy use of the feathers themselves and Dakotaraptor probably had about 15 of them ( Velociraptor had 14, Archaeopteryx 12, and Microraptor 18). The quill knobs on the arm are completely, without a doubt, quill knobs, similar to those found on Velociraptor, Archeopteryx, and Microraptor, and were points where the secondary remiges (so the VERY LONG very complex pennaceous feathers) could attach. It is similar to that of Utahraptor, but more robust. It is proportionally larger than the claw of Deinonychus it is about 29% of the length of the femur, whereas Deinonychus’ is about 23%. This is impressive, but what is even more startling is the size of it’s characteristic sickle claw: it appeared to have been about 16 cm long, and 24 cm along the dorsal curve. Based on these remains, its size was estimated to be between 5 and 5.5 meters long, meaning only Utahraptor actually exceeded Dakotaraptor in size. What a gorgeous reconstruction!)ĭakotaraptor itself is known from arm and leg bones, as well as some tail vertebrae, and teeth. Source: (Emily Willoughby directly from the paper. We live in a glorious, wondrous, amazing world. Also, that one tumblr user who insists that Utahraptor didn’t have feathers is… somehow even more wrong now. ![]() In short, it is now especially inexcusable that the raptors in Jurassic World don’t have feathers. As we all know from Velociraptor, this is direct evidence of heavily used pennaceous feathers, making the phylogenetic certainty of these complex integumentary structures on dromaeosaurs of all sizes even stronger. It’s a very large dromaeosaurid, from Hell Creek - we don’t have many of those, only Utahraptor, Achillobator, and Austroraptor in addition to Dakotaraptor - with quill knobs on its arms. Source: Me! I drew it! Yay! I don’t usually draw things!Ĭlassification: Dinosauria, Saurischia, Eusaurischia, Theropoda, Neotheropoda, Averostra, Tetanurae, Orionides, Avetheropoda, Coelurosauria, Tyrannoraptora, Maniraptoriformes, Maniraptora, Pennaraptora, Paraves, Eumaniraptora, Dromaeosauroidea, Dromaeosauridae, Eudromaeosauriaĭakotaraptor is a new dromaeosaurid from Hell Creek that has been in the rumor mill a long time. ![]()
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Ccleaner vs avast11/10/2023 ![]() ![]() Because of of these browsers are from the same developers, and they have the same features, it’s not easy to choose between these two browsers. Read Also: Google Chrome Won’t Open or Launch CCleaner Browser vs Avast Secure Browser – Which one Should You Use? So, after knowing this, you might be thinking CCleaner or Avast browser, which one should you get? Everything are same on these two browsers. But, people who doesn’t know that CCleaner is a part of Avast group, might think that the CCleaner browser is better from the Avast Secure browser. Their interface, features and functions are the same. Well, both of these browsers are from Avast, you might see weird similarities between these two browsers. So, one question might be pop-up in your mind, is CCleaner Browser is the rebranded version of the Avast Secure Browser? And guess what? The features are also similar. And this browser has the exact same interface of CCleaner Browser. ![]() However, you can call it a co-incident or not, but Avast also has a web browser named Avast secure browser. And CCleaner Browser is indirectly a program from Avast. Since then, they have done many things to the CCleaner original program. So, if you are switching from Google Chrome to the CCleaner browser, you might not be able to see any difference in terms of the interface of the browser.Īvast, one of the popular antivirus and antimalware prgrame for Windows, has acquired CCleaner long ago. ![]() However, there are some extra features are available on the CClaner browser. You get the same interface of Google Chrome on CCleaner. And the CCleaner browser is based on the Chromium browser. This web browser has the same interface of Google Chrome, but has some extra features in it.
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Starbucks bubble tea11/9/2023 ![]() ![]() It’s rare to see a boba business give credit to the origin of a drink, regardless of how special it may seem. While true heads know the best boba chains and their various specialties, most boba shops will offer a gazillion options and not announce if they started because they saw another business was drawing long lines for it. Once they hit a win, another boba shop will imitate and sell it as their own faster than you can say “ QQ.” Boba culture has long been an arms race to find the hot (or iced) new drink at any given moment: Shops experiment with new toppings and drinks at an incredible pace, expanding the boba canon quickly. Just as Starbucks convinced America to adopt faux-sophisticated Italian coffee culture, bobafication can open more eyes to the pure joy and whimsy of drinking dessert at three o’clock in the afternoon.īut for better or for worse, the culture around boba shops has always been about copying each other’s homework. It points to a development beyond the Frappuccino: Bobafication abandons the idea that a frothy sweet drink should double as a boost for “caffeine” or “productivity.” Gen Z TikTok trends are essentially forcing the chain to go to great lengths for customization. The salted cream cold foam is a doppelganger for the sleeper hit of boba shops, cheese tea. It’s not just brown sugar syrup that Starbucks has adopted, either. Most shops have a level of choice that makes early Starbucks orders look like child’s play: base drink, fruit purées, foams, ice levels, sugar levels, and, most important, textures. The boba shop is a place of constant innovation and endless customization, like if Willy Wonka expanded to the beverage market. ![]() The bobafication of American drink culture is, in my opinion, by far the best thing to happen to our nonalcoholic drink scene in decades. More cafés across America are finally learning the art of bobafication. It showed up at other bubble tea shops, at restaurants, and then finally, almost unbelievably, it showed up at Starbucks. The absolute must-try invention of Taiwanese boba shops was the brown sugar drink, and like any successful recipe, it got copied. ![]() All of a sudden, it could be seen stylishly dripping down milk everywhere- on social media, in freezer aisles, and most often, in plastic cups held primarily by youths. If I had to guess, I’d say it started with the brown sugar syrup. ![]() |